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JAMES iii Pif-treni ril-reso OF BROOKLYN, NEVI YORK; MARY H. MUDOALD (AD- SPE-ICATON forming part of Letters Patent No. 385,0?9. dated July ll 1888.

Application tiled l `ehruary4,1987. Serial No 226,602.

To .LZZ whom, z' may concern:

Be it known that l, JAMES MODONALD, ot' Brooklyn, in the county ot Kings and State otl New York, have invented certain new and useful linign'ovemcnts in Piano-Forte Actions,

ot' which the following is a specification.

This 'invention relates to certain improvements in the construction ot' piano-torte actions, whereby it is rendered possible to reto peat thohlow of thchammer against the string at any position that the key may be in. To this end a peculiar construction of hammer is adopted having a hammer-butt which is made substantially circular or arc-like in outline,

i5 said circular portion resting directly upon the transmitter, which is itself rigidly fixed with relation to the part to which it is attached, and which is, as contemplated hy this invention, either the rear portieri ot' the key itself :o or a part liked thereto.

The invention is illustrated in the accompartyingl drawings, in which- Figure l is a vertical section ot' an upright- ]'iiano-torte action, showing the same at rest.

Fig. 2 is a similarsection showing the hammer raised to the string. Fig. 3 is a detailed scctional View showing a modification ot' the transmitter between the key and hammerhutt.

of wood, which serves as the bearing-rail for all of the hai'nmcr-hutts used in 'the piano, as long as the piano doos not contain more than four or tive octavos. rElie rail is provided with a series of notches, b Z), which are formed on its uppcrsidethroughoutits entire length, the notches being of the proper width and depth In the drawings, A is the bottom rail ofthe (No model to receive the hammcrbutis. The hammerbutts, which are provided with suitably-hushed 5o apertures, are pivoted in said notches by means ol' :i wire, G'. which is inserted through holes in the rail and through thebushed apertures of the hammer-butts.

H is one ot" the hammer-butts,which has Secured thereto an upwardly-extending shank,

I, which carries on its upper end the hammerhead J, which is adapted to strike one of the strings L. The hamincrbutt has its lower edgeor surface termed in a curved line which o@ is substantially circular or arc-like. In the preferred construction ot the action this circular edge of the hammer-butt rests directly upon the rear end ot'the key,which constitutes itselt the transmitter between the key and t 5 hammer-butt. It will be observed 'that with this construction the transmitter or rear end of the key will always be in contact with somel portion ot' the circular edge ot' the hammerbutt in whatever position the key may be held, '/o so that at all times by further depression of the key the hammer may be thrown hack to strike the string.

M is one of thedamper-levers,which is pivoted in a damper-rail, N, between the hammers and the strings. The damper-levers carry on their upper ends the damper-cushions d, which are normally held in contact with the strings hy means oi'small springs c, mounted upon the damper-rail. A single damper-rail 8o is used for all of the damper-levers, and the' damper-levers are pivoted therein in the same manner that the hammer butts are pivoted in the hammer-butt rail.

The hammer-Shanks are supported in their position of rest by a hannner-shank rail, O, which is suitably mounted in the piano-frame. Each hammer shank carries a regulatingscrew, l), having a padded end, e,.vhich,when the hammer is thrown back to strike the string, cutiies in contact with the lower end of the damper-lever, thus swinging the damper-pad away from the spring and permitting the free vibration of the latter. iVhen the hammer falls back to its position of rest, the damperlever is released and the damper-pad is again pressed against the string by means of its spring c.

When theimprovements are used with pianos embracing more than four or tive oet-aves, wherein a larger number of strings are ernployed, it is necessary to place some of the hammer-butts at such a distance above the keys that the keys cannot act directly upon the circular edge ofthe hammer-butts. In such a case an additional transmitting device must be interposed between the key and hammerbutt, as is shown in Fig. 4. This transmitter, which is rigidly attached to the rear end ofthe key, consists of a vertical tracker, Q, which has rigidly secured to its upper end a horizontal lever, R, which comes directly in contact with the curved edge of the hammer-butt and takes the place of the transmitting rear end of the key in the construction shown in Figs. l and 2.

In Whichever construction that is employed it will be observed that there is no independently-moving part interposed between the key and the hammer-butt, but that the transmitter is in any. case rigidly fixed with relation to the part to which it is attached.

In constructing the hammer-butts, hammershanks, and hammer-heads these parts are made from separate sheets each wide enough to contain, one or more full sets for a piano. The hammerbutts and hammer heads are grooved to admit the hammer shanks. The hammer-heads are covered with felt orleather while still in the sheet. The hammer-shanks are then glued to the hammer-heads and harnmer-butts, thereby making one or more complete sets of hammers while still in the sheet, and then the sheets are sawed apart to form the individual hammers. The damper-levers and damper-heads are made in the same manner.

I claim as my inventionl. In a piano-forte action, the combination of a key, a simple transmitter rigidly fixed with relation to the part to which it is attached, and a pivoted hammer having a hammer-butt made substantially circular or arc-like in outline.

2. In a piano-forte action, the combination of a key, a pivoted hammer havinga hammerbutt lnade substantially circularor arc-likein outline, and a transmitter upon which the circular edge of said hammer-butt rests, subst-antially as set forth.

3. A pivoted hammer having a hammerx butt made substantially circular or arc-like on one edge, in combination with a piano-key, the rear or transmitting end of which is directly in contact with the circular edge of said hammer-butt, substantially as set forth.

4. In an upright-piano-forte action, a pivoted hammer having a hammer-butt with its lower edge substantially circular in outline, in combination with a key having a transmitting part in substantiallya horizontal plane on its rear end, lthe curved edge of the hammer-butt resting directly upon said transmitting part in Whichever position the key may be held at rest, substantially as set forth.

5. In a pianoforte action, the strings, the

damper rail, the damper levers pivoted in said damper rail, and having damper pads adapted to said strings, in combination with the keys ot' the piano, the hammer-butt rail behind the rear ends of the keys, the hammers pivoted in said hammer rail, having hammerbutts and hammer-heads, and being also provided with regulating-screws, carrying pads, which co operate with said damper-levers, and said hammer-butts having one edge substantially circular in outline, said curved edge being acted upon by a plane transmitting-surface rigidly attached to the key, substantially as set forth.

JAMES McDON ALD. Witnesses:

PORTER G. CHADWICK, XV. L. BURRILL. 

